Split Up
by heyits.reagan
Summary: Ryan confronts Principal Gray about her position with the monsters and is met with a consequence he simply can't beat on his own. Oneshot!


Warning: Do NOT read if you haven't seen the latest Mech X4 episode!

I just watched it and was inspired to write this sad, no happy ending, little oneshot. Enjoy! :)

* * *

He knew it was a bad idea, even before he stormed into her office. He knew it was a bad idea as he rode to school the next day with his mom, who tried getting ahold of Mark every five minutes. He knew it was a bad idea when he met with Harris and Spyder and lied when they asked if he was okay. He knew things would change after this day, whether for the better or worse.

Something struck him as odd when Principal Gray told Ryan and his friends that the bus couldn't leave them specifically. "The three best friends," she had said with a warm smile. Ryan thought it was definitely weird, seeing as he's only ever talked to her once before at a skate competition. Spyder and Harris also thought it was out of place because neither had ever spoken to her, not once.

However, the whole ride back to his house after watching Mech X4, and Ryan, be kidnapped, his mind was swimming with theories. Why did Principal Gray talk to only Ryan at the skate competition when there were other kids from his school in it, as well? Why didn't she go and talk to the seniors that were competing, the kids who she's seen for longer than a few weeks?

That's when another idea dawned on him. What if Principal Gray is, somehow, connected to the monsters? What if she works for the people who create them? Or, what if she was the one who attacked him at Harper Futuristics?

Ryan was going off a complete hunch. He kept to himself for most of the day, too shaken by the idea of his principal being behind his brother's kidnapping. Harris and Spyder tried getting him to talk throughout the day, their worry increases the quieter he became. Harris tried to make reason of it, tried convincing himself and Spyder that Ryan was just upset about Mark's disappearance, but it didn't help the concern tugging at his heart. His best friend wasn't okay, and Harris had no idea how to fix it.

With ten minutes left of class, Ryan grabbed the hall pass and escaped out the door. Spyder and Harris contemplated going after him, but the teacher refused to let anybody else leave.

He made a beeline for her office at the end of the hall. He peeked through the window, just to check. The last thing he needed was to barge into a meeting and tip something off for the other teacher's. Thankfully, she was alone, doing paperwork at her desk.

She didn't flinch when he threw the door open so roughly that it slammed against the wall. Instead, she looked up and smiled warmly at her company. "Ryan," she greeted, laying her pen down and intertwining her fingers, "what a nice surprise. Are you upset about something?"

Ryan grit his teeth. "Tell me where Mark is."

"Mark?" Principal Gray feigned innocence. "I'm sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do. You work for the people who make the monsters, don't you? You wanted us gone so you could steal Mech X4, didn't you?" Ryan's voice rose with every question. "Tell me where my brother is, now!"

Principal Gray sighed, rose to her feet, and walked around the desk to shut the door.

"I think it's time you and I have a chat, Ryan…"

•••••

The second the bell rang, Harris and Spyder raced out the door. Instantly they were on their phones, texting Ryan and even Mark, hoping to get a response. There was a shout down the hall in the midst of students and the lights above them began to flicker. Spyder noticed it first and slowed down, then lightly smacked Harris's chest.

"Ow!" Harris whined. "What?" Spyder pointed up, where the lights flashed violently over them. People gasped and screamed as teachers stepped outside to see what the commotion was. Up ahead, students stumbled back and stared straight ahead at something. Spyder felt sick as he broke through the students, a familiar voice ringing in his ears.

"No!" Ryan yelled, stomping his feet and jerking his arms. The tall, bald man with a glassy eye tightened his grip on the boy's arms and dragged him across the floor. Ryan fought with everything he had, twisting his body and swinging his elbows, hoping to land a hit somewhere. He scanned the crowd hopelessly and his peers stared back, faces frozen in shock. "Let me go!" Ryan begged, his voice falling desperate. He was no longer angry, he realized, but scared. Scared of what these people will do to him, scared of what happened to Mark, scared of what might happen to Spyder and Harris.

"Please!" Ryan cried, shaking his head at the ever nearing front doors. "Please, no, stop! Let me go!"

"Ryan!" somebody shouted amongst the crowd. Ryan whipped his head around and saw Harris push through the sea of students with Spyder right behind him. They were terrified and angry and powerless, all rolled into one. Spyder made the first move with a battle cry of his own creation as he charged at the giant man. Unfortunately, he noticed a bit too late that the man was wearing a familiar looking belt, and Spyder was bounced back by a blue X shield.

"Spyder!" Ryan called, watching his friend drop to the ground with a groan of pain. Harris rushed forward, knelt next to him, and looked back at Ryan.

"What are we supposed to do?" he asked.

"Move along kids, nothing to see here," Principal Gray said. The crowd split like the Red Sea as she walked down the hall, a mask of concern on her face. "Ryan's going through some things, so we're sending him to a special place until he feels better."

Ryan narrowed his eyes. "You're _never_ going to get away with this," he spat, the lights above them flashing ferociously. Principal Gray glanced up in surprise, along with the rest of the students. Some took off to their next class, their fear getting the best of them. Spyder climbed to his feet and used Harris for support as the two stared at those crystal blue eyes and the chaos they were creating.

 _Technopath_ , Principal Gray mouthed, realization dawning on her. She smiled. "Don't worry, Ryan. We're going to take _good_ care of you. Take him away."

From the ends of three hallways, lights burst and sparks flew. Kids screamed and ducked their heads as row by row, a rectangle of lightbulbs exploded and glass rained from the ceiling until the only glow left shining was the sun outside. Ryan's eyes shone through the dark as he jerked his arms in the big man's grasp, trying desperately to reach the woman.

"This isn't the last you've seen of me," he swore. "I'll be back with my brother and you're going to regret _ever_ crossing us. Mech X4 will be the _end_ of you."

Harris swallowed hard. Spyder shuddered. Even Principal Gray was a bit shocked. With those eyes, Ryan looked absolutely terrifying. The clouded eye man jerked Ryan away, this time with less restraint from Ryan. The teenage boy continued to glare down his ex-principal until he reached the door where he switched focus so he could look at his best friends one last time.

The students pressed against the glass, watching Ryan storm down the stairs and climb in a van. He looked at the school sign where upcoming events slid across the screen in red digital writing. With the simple flash of his eyes, the letters glitched and a new message slipped across screen.

 _Mech X4 will be back soon. Count on it._


End file.
